to get upset by parents who...........

[GhostOfMumsnet]

leave their children in the car and then go into the other supermarket to do their shopping?

Chocolatekimmy - do your children never ever leave your sight even for a moment then? There are plenty of times when I am at home with both children and can't see them (eg I'm in the kitchen, they have chased the cat upstairs).

i think it depends on the child, parents know whether their children will be ok to be left for 2 mins while they pop to the corner shop, but not to go supermarket shopping.

as far as i know its not actually illegal to leave their child, even babies, i think the only way anyone can be prosecuted is if anything happens to the child, or possibly neglect charges may be brought against them if they have enough evidence

They'd be arrested in the US.

It seems very strange and dangerous to me, but I'm foreign.

i wouldnt leave mine. ds1 would hotwire the car and be off in search of the motorway before i could say pump number 9 please.

rofl twopence!

There is nothing wrong in leaving your child in the car at the petrol station. Is no one realistic these days? You can't be watching your child 24 hours a day and i am sure if you disaplin them well then you shouldn't have a problem. My mum used to let me walk to school on my own when i was in primary school, there was none of this dropping me to the school gate causing mayhem nonsense. And i turned ou fine.

i used to leave both of mine to pay for petrol (3 & 1) and was pretty confident they were safe - in car seats, occupied and locked car, safely parked etc ( I do think a handbag is far more appealing to a petty theif than a stroppy 3 yr old.) However I can't leave them anymore because the older one can undo his own seat belt and he is definately not safe unless he is strapped firmly in his seat .

You see I have left my chidren (aged 6.0 and 2.9) in the car while I have nipped into the shops/cashpoint/petrol) on several occasions (we are talking well into double/triple figures here) and they have never been anywhere but sat in their seats and not crying. I am more reluctant to leave DD on her own while I am going out of sight in case she gets distressed but OK at petrol stations/cashpoints and if DS if there OK at local shop.

And sometimes DS can be playing on his own for up to an hour without seeing me at home.

DS can obviously undo his seat belt, but never does unless he has dropped something, then he does it straight back up.

aloha - thats a pointless comment really as it doesn't relate to the post which is about leaving kids in a car unattended. Of course my kids are often out of my sight at home, the difference being that they are in the safest possible environment with as many risks as possible taken out of the way - all of which is in my control.

confused2007 - but thats my whole point, you don't know if they will be ok for 2 minutes while you pop to the shop. There is always a risk, even if you think its ok.

I think my car is probably safer than my home. It isn't full of large heavy pieces of furniture, for a start!

Hasn't got any stairs in it either...

DD is 5 & often says she wants to wait in the car whilst I shop! Often if I get parked on front of the local fruit shop I can see her, I will run in & leave her in the car.

Even last week when I visited my brother, she wanted me to go ahead & leave her on her own in the car listening to music!!

It also depends on the nature of the child IMO. But they should never be left for the duration of time it takes to do a shop!! I never would leave them asleep, what if they woke up & didn't know where I was??

Like I said, its not relevant to the OP. You have already posted 'I think leaving small children in cars for extended periods of time is wrong' so I can't understand your point now as you seem to agree with me anyway.

You can't take all risks out of a childs life but you do your best to make it as safe as possible for them - like using stairgates and supervising them etc. You do all you can in the home to avoid dangers and risks.

A child in a car, unattended, out of sight for however long is a risk that is avoidable and thats why I don't do it and think that its wrong for people that do.

ah judge me all you like. i dont care

firefly - good points but how would the 'nature' of a child protect them? Are you meaning that leaving them in the car within sight of you still depends on the child or going off where you can't see them. They may be happy for you to do that but its depending on their age as to wether they have a full understanding of the risks

misdee - you already said you felt guilty about doing it at the pharmacy so you judged yourself anyway (and obviously cared).

i felt guilty becaus ei was there longer than expected

Whenever I leave mine I am always mildy disappointed that they are still in the car when I get back

I mean: My 5yr old is a very sensible natured girly. She will sit & flick through a book, tune the radio station to whatever suits her, generally not be bothered if I am in the local shop. My nephew who is 6 cannot be trusted to sit still on a stool, never mind sit in the car & be sensible.

I was merely meaning for the minute it takes to pay for petrol, the nature of a child depends on wether they will sit & wait, or get out & leg it across the forecourt.

People leave their dc's and do a weekly shop Think you're right, it isn't on, not when they're young. When they are over ten or so maybe. I do leave dd in the car but only to get petrol, get cash or ocassionaly go in the post office, the latter only if she is asleep. She knows not to undo her seat belt as she did that once in the petrol station and I left the q ran out and told her off immediately. Hasn;t done it since. She started beeping the horn, got some very funny looks as i was running back to the car.

kitty

me too

I'm surprised that some people really think it is safer to drag children across a forecourt to pay for petrol rather than leave them in the car for a few minutes I have a 7 yo, a 5 yo, a 3 yo and a 16 month old and only 2 hands! I have absolutely no doubt that they are safer belted into their car seats than trying to negotiate moving cars on a forecourt.

You just can't eliminate risk entirely, but I think that doing this is minimising it as much as I can.

And while we're on the subject I'm not too keen on stairgates either - the only injuries we've had involving stairs have been when one of them has collided with the stairgate itself! And I dread to think of what could happen if my 4 and 5 yo had to negotiate one at the top of the stairs. We haven't had one at all with ds3 and he's been negotiating the stairs competently and safely since he was about 12 months old.

I reckon most of you need to get a grip. Talk about over protective parenting, this is why this country is going potty. You'll be going on about all the silly health and safety issues they are putting apon us next.

Theres nothing wrong with being protective towards your children Leaving a child unattended in a car, out of sight is a risk for many potential reasons so its hardly being over protective